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Features:
Atmosphere is a mix of professional 3D modeling tools and Adobes industry-standard graphics applications. The program boasts a semipro look and feel that allows you to build simple 3D worlds complete with lighting, animation, and scripting, but the $400 apps performance is a bit disappointing. All in all, however, Atmosphere is a good choice for users who want to create interactive scenes but who have limited experience doing so (some 2D graphic design knowledge is helpful, though).
This cathedral screenshot is an example provided by Adobe of the type of scene you can create with Atmosphere.
Despite offering scriptable actions, effects such as fog and fire, and radiosity lighting (or real-time illumination effects), thanks to technology from Viewpoint, even a Nintendo 64 can produce more fluid and more compelling environments. However, the app handily incorporates physics (that is, gravity and mass) automatically, and it offers a less complex--not to mention less expensive--way (than, say, 3D Studio Max) to create interactive environments. Atmosphere worlds allow the potential for online interactions, such as chat, gestures, and exploration, making the tool ideal for small businesses and educators who want their customers and students to have a more hands-on experience than the Web usually offers.
A wizard walks you through installing the Atmosphere application; much of the 50MB of disk space it requires is for sample files of objects, textures, and audio that you can open to place in a scene. The installer also places a slew of DLL files (small programs supporting a larger program) in the apps folder. To interact in Atmosphere environments on Web pages, youll need to download the programs Player (currently available only for those running Internet Explorer on a Windows platform), which is a plug-in found on Adobes Web site. At more than 2MB, the Player is not a lightweight download for those using a dial-up connection, but it is a heavy lifter, either enabling your computers video card to display the 3D scene or providing a software renderer if your video card doesnt meet Atmospheres criteria. Of course, more-advanced graphics options such as animated textures and reflections are not available with the software renderer. Theres also a free server component, with which you can host and manage a scene for users over the Internet.
As with most 3D applications, the user interface requires a great deal of screen real estate. Though Atmosphere doesnt provide multiple view windows, which would allow you to check objects and scenes on multiple axes at once, theres still little room to spare. In addition to the main window that displays wireframes of the objects and scenes being assembled, you can have multiple palettes on the screen at once. They are context-sensitive and will update to offer data relevant to the tool youre using, but they rapidly take up all usable screen space. And, although they align to each other or to the edge of the screen easily, they dont dock as Adobe InDesign palettes do.
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